Fifteen years of being McGill's principal didn't sate David Johnston's appetite for university governance. He is ready to lead another school -- he takes the helm of the University of Waterloo next summer.

McGill's space-faring graduate, Dr. Dafydd Williams, visited his alma mater to share tales of his recent mission aboard the space shuttle Columbia. Williams talked about the future of the space program and going to the bathroom in zero-gravity.

Playwright and former book publisher May Cutler thinks the country's arts companies suffer from a "fear of the original." They'd rather work on their umpteenth production of Mozart or Shakespeare than take a chance on new Canadian talent.

Shree Mulay, the director of the McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women, dedicates herself to building bridges between academics, scientists, activists and women's groups. She isn't impressed with the "deregulated world" we live in.

A "practical philosopher," Peter Brown has built successful academic centres before. He says the goal for the MSE is to take bright students with a passion for the environment and "keep that fire alive, maybe even fan it a little bit."

Indra Freibergs moves three of the hundreds of boxes she and colleagues from the Centre for Continuing Education packed for the big move from Place Mercantile, on Sherbrooke Street to the old Industrial Alliance building, one block to the east. Other departments accompanying Cont Ed into 680 Sherbooke include ICC, German, Hispanic and Russian & Slavic Studies and Human Resources.PHOTO: OWEN EGAN